


petrichor

by andthentheirwerenone



Category: Outlast (Video Games)
Genre: Blake is concerned about miles, It’s a relationship if you squint hard enough, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24109726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andthentheirwerenone/pseuds/andthentheirwerenone
Summary: petrichor – n. the pleasant, earthy smell after rain
Relationships: Blake Langermann & Miles Upshur, Blake Langermann/Miles Upshur
Kudos: 20





	petrichor

Traveling down the empty road, Blake stared outside the passenger seat window at the mountains of Colorado. It had been awhile since Blake had seen another car on the road or even a house on the empty land beside them. He listened to the soft patter of rain as it hit the hardcover of the Jeep’s roof, zoning in on the sound of the raindrops over the muffled radio. Shifting his legs, the taller man groaned as he failed to find any comfort. Blake never understood Miles's obsession with his Jeep. Although Miles was only barely shorter than Blake, a difference that seemed insignificant, he never seemed to complain about the lack of room inside of his cherry colored car. After sitting for hours, Blake couldn't help but grimace every time he attempted to move or stretch out. Failing to find any comfort, he shifted his gaze to face Miles. The younger man seemed teased, however, given the circumstances of what they joked was their extensive road trip it wasn't a surprise. Miles had been focused on the road, his thumbs rubbing against the leather of the car's steering wheel impatiently. Blake knew how antsy Miles must be, forced to sit within a car for hours each day, either driving non-stop or stuck sitting quietly in the passenger seat. In college, it took ages for Miles to finally settle down and get to work on something. His mind was always racing and staying on task was difficult for the younger man. Blake couldn't count the number of times he sat there with Miles, making sure he stayed on task as he studied or wrote a new assignment for journalism.  
“Miles, do you need me to drive? You look like you’re starting to drift off” Blake spoke in a concerned manner. He had been driving for what felt like hours without taking a single break and Blake knew he was starting to get too tired to even attempt to hide it.

Miles glanced at the other then swiftly focused back on the road and hummed. “Nope, I’m fine. I wouldn’t want to hear you constantly complaining while driving anyway.” 

“I’m serious, Miles. You’ve been driving for hours and I know you’re tired. Why don’t you just-“

”Langermann, don’t even finish that. You know we can’t stop. Regardless, I’m fine.” Miles spoke quickly and Blake knew he was attempting to end the conversation there. Blake was well aware of how impossible it was to change Miles’s mind about something and he knew this was one of those cases. 

He sighed and turned back towards the view of the mountains. Despite the gray sky, the mountains were as beautiful as ever and Blake wished he could have seen them in a better circumstance. He watched as the raindrops moved down the window, remembering a time when his only concern was which raindrop would race to the bottom of the window fastest. The movement of Miles’s hand in the corner of his eye brought back his attention. He watched as the other rubbed the temple of his head with his right hand, grimacing as he did so. Despite Miles’s shut down of the conversation earlier, Blake decided to be persistent.

”Miles are you sure you’re ok? Do you have a headache? I think it would be best to pull over for just a minute.” 

“It’s just- fuck, I don’t know.” He sighed and looked back over at Blake, lowering his hand and resting it on the middle console. “It’s just, you know, the buzzing sound. But I should be fine, it’s not like I’m not used to it by now.” 

Blake knew what Miles’s was trying to say but couldn’t. He’s seen Miles’s suffering from headaches and much worse from that thing. Most of the time, Miles would attempt to hide it from Blake. If it weren’t for spending years with him when they were both younger he wouldn’t have been able to tell the other was in pain. In most cases, the pain was small and temporary like the headache he had currently. Regardless of how minor Miles pretended it to be, Blake still knew he was in pain. Despite his poor attitude towards any help, Blake knew he needed to stop Miles before his headache turned into something worse. 

“Miles, pullover.” Blake demanded, getting a quick glare from the other. “I mean it, I don’t want you passing out behind the wheel and getting us both killed.” Miles opened his mouth, ready to protest the likelihood of his own death before being stopped by Blake. “I’m serious!”

”Fine! Just calm down I’m pulling over.” Miles pulled the car into a patch of grass on the side of the road, slowing down until he reached a stop and put the car into park. He crossed his arms as he turned to face Blake. "Happy?" He looked pissed, his headache clearly spiking in pain as he raised his voice at the other man. It was difficult to convince Miles to do anything he didn't want to and although he would pretend to be upset at Blake, he knew he couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. It couldn't hurt anyone to get out and stretch for just a few minutes. By the time Miles's was done sitting in his own angry silence, the raindrops had stopped falling. The younger man had calmed down now, his shoulders looking more loose than they had minutes earlier. The windshield wipers came to a halt as Miles turned the key of his car, the engine dying as he placed the keys on the flat surface at the top of the dashboard. "Well, if you are getting out you should go now that it's stopped raining. I wouldn't want a soaking wet Langermann ruining the seats of my car." 

"Look that was one time! It wasn't my fault that you were the only person who could come pick me up out of the rain!" Blake laughed and nudged Miles's arm, catching the other man's quick smile. "Besides, I think I'd rather suffer the wrath of messing up your car than Lynn's. She would have forced me to sleep on the couch for weeks if I had ruined the interior of it." His laughter quieted as he thought of her. Miles watched as Blake's mind trailed off and quickly reacted. 

"C'mon, let's get some fresh air now before you go crazy stuck inside here." Miles reached over and squeezed his hand with a soft smile. He unbuckled himself and opened the car door, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. The familiar scent of petrichor brought a scent of comfort to the two men as they stepped out of the Jeep, stretching out their legs the first chance they got. Despite protesting the idea, Miles's did find it nice to be able to move after driving for so long. Although the buzzing in his head was still present, the sweet scent of the rainy afternoon calmed his mind for just a moment. He walked over to Blake, standing beside the man as he looked off into the distance. The mountains were beginning to poke out from behind the dark gray clouds, showing off the beauty of the Colorado wilderness. Despite having driven through the area multiple times, Miles had never taken the opportunity to stop and stare at the scene before him. He felt the pressure of an empty palm on his back and turned his head to face Blake.

"So is it my turn to drive now or what?"


End file.
